The dynamics and capture of suspended particles constrain numerous processes in marine ecosystems such as suspension feeding and trophic interactions, aggregation and sedimentation, larval and propagule dispersal and settlement, and the increasing impacts of micro- and nanoplastics in the environment. The interdisciplinary research in these areas draws heavily on fluid and particle dynamics, filtration theory, surface chemistry, and modelling and experimentation with marine organisms. This Research Topic focuses on recent advances in interdisciplinary approaches to modelling, predicting, and measuring particle capture, and extensions of these concepts to emerging issues such as the transport and fate of micro- and nanoplastics in the marine environment. An insightful and inspiring review that will direct future research is also sought.

The scope of topics includes but is not limited to:

- Suspension/filter feeding by unicellular organisms, invertebrates, and vertebrates – physical mechanisms of particle capture and associated ecological aspects;

- Particle interception and sedimentation around vegetation and other benthic structures;

- Pollination of seagrasses;

- Contact and interaction of bacteria and viruses with other organisms;

- Contact of microplastics and nanoplastics with organisms and surfaces;

- Microbe-mineral interaction with microplastics and nanoplastics, and implications for particle transport and capture;

- Roles of prey or particle behaviour and motility in particle capture or avoidance;

- Roles of suspension feeder behaviour, movement, and associated flow fields in particle capture;

- Roles of ambient flow fields (turbulence, oscillatory flow, tidal currents, etc.) in particle capture;

- Roles of surface chemistry in particle capture;

- Hydrodynamics and behaviour of larval settlement onto substrata;

- Novel methods of investigation: lab and field experiments, physical models, analytical and numerical modelling, imaging methods, etc.

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Frontiers in Marine Science

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